Blitzboks stalwart Neil Powell has been ruled out of the sevens tournament in George this weekend.

The former Bulls and Cheetahs scrumhalf injured his shoulder in the Boks’ disappointing campaign in Dubai, where they suffered a quarterfinal exit against Fiji in the cup section and lost 7-0 against Australia in the plate final.

Marius Schoeman, who missed the Dubai tournament because of a calf injury, will take Powell’s place in the squad.

Head coach Paul Treu is positive that his side can bounce back in the George Sevens on 11 and 12 December.

‘We were spot on with our composure and decision-making on day one, but we were found wanting in those two areas on Saturday when it mattered,’ he said, ‘The two losses were a massive eye-opener for the guys and they now realise that we will have to play so much better as the defending SA tournament and World Series champions.

‘We were able to give international debuts to youngsters like Cecil Afrika, Deon Helberg and JW Jonker, and that was a big positive for me. The youngsters now had a taste of what it takes to compete at the highest level and that will serve them very well in George next week.’